AllFreeNovel
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“Are you okay?” Katie asked as she tucked a few more brownies inside the box.
The woman nodded. “I’m fine, but this guy must have a brain injury. He’s lost his mind if he thinks it’s okay to comment on how a woman looks, let alone one he doesn’t know.”
Katie scowled at him and shook her head. “He’s not known for his subtleness.”
“He’s never met me. This could be the best I’ve looked in a lifetime. Cat burglar? No, baby, I’m a ninja.”
Griffen let out a laugh that could probably be heard in the storeroom of Bishop’s Brewhouse.
Red’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and he tried to recover. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to offend you. I wasn’t commenting on your looks. Behind the baseball cap, the hoodie, and the black jeans, I can hardly see enough to have an opinion.” That was a lie. Her piercing green eyes caught his attention right away. “I’m Red, by the way.”
She sighed, seemingly uninterested. “Viv. And just so you know, this isn’t a good day. I’ve spent five hours on a plane and three in the SUV from hell. All I want are brownies and a bed.”
“Red has one of those—a bed, I mean,” Griffen chimed in. “And he’s always willing to share it.”
Red slugged his buddy in the arm. “Dude, shut up.”
Viv narrowed her eyes. “If you two are some comedic team practicing your act on me, I’d advise you not to quit your day jobs, and maybe learn some manners. Your lives, let alone your beds, have got to be pretty empty with lines like that. Geez.”
Katie rang her up, and after Viv paid, she walked past him likehewas invisible. Red couldn’t help but feel disappointed. She was different than his norm. She didn’t know who he was and wasn’t interested, which made her more intriguing. He’d spent his life being the prey to thousands of adoring predators. A quiver of excitement coursed through him at the thought of maybe being the one to do the chasing for once if she’d ever give him the time of day.
As Viv left the bakery, Red and Griffen exchanged awkward glances. Griffen rubbed his arm, his laughter dying down. “That went well.”
Red’s eyes lingered on the door where Viv had just exited. “Thanks for the shove, man. I was hoping to make a better first impression.”
Griffen shrugged, a playful smirk still lingering on his lips. “Hey, at least she’ll remember you, right? That’s something.”
“What will it be, boys?” Katie asked.
Red lifted two fingers. “Brownies, please.”
Katie handed them their brownies, her expression a mix of amusement and sympathy. “She’s new in town, visiting family, I think. Maybe you’ll get another chance. It would be nice to see you settle down.”
Griffen laughed. “Him, settle?” He rolled his eyes. “Oh, I mean, he settles all the time, but settle down? Not likely.”
“There’s more to life than one-night stands and an unlimited supply of penicillin from Doc,” Katie said in her Texas twang.
She was joking about the antibiotics. He hadn’t needed a dose since the band toured France eight years ago.
“Is someone spreading that rumor?” Red asked.
She smiled. “No, but I thought it was funny.”
“Only if you’re not on the receiving end.”
She hung her head. “Sorry. It was in bad taste. I was following your lead. The brownies are on the house.”
With the bag in hand, the two friends left the bakery. Red’s mind was still on the encounter with Viv. Walking down the street, he couldn’t shake the image of her emerald eyes and the fire that seemed to burn within them. He found himself hoping that their paths would cross again soon, and he’d have an opportunity to make amends and get to know her better.
The air had grown colder as the sun slid farther down the horizon, casting a soft golden glow over the snow-capped peaks. Red shivered, pulling his jacket tighter around him. Viv’s words had gotten under his skin. They were colder and delivered more sting than the weather outside.
Red and Griffen arrived at the recording studio, the familiar sound of music and laughter greeting them as they entered. They ensured their equipment was packed and ready for the big show in Denver tonight. The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation and excitement as the rest of the band members prepared for the concert.
While they worked, Griffen couldn’t resist teasing Red about his playboy behavior. “Today must have felt foreign to you. I’ve never known a woman to cross your path and not swoon. She looked at you as if you were nothing.”
Red secured his bass in its case. Maybe that was what was bothering him. She didn’t even look at him, she looked right through him as if he were unimportant, and he wasn’t used to that. Deep down inside, he knew she was right. He was nothing. The women who clamored to be with him didn’t climb into his bed because they loved or cared about him. They did it because he was famous. He was a notch on their proverbial belt. But take the spotlight away, and he was just a man—a simple man with little to offer. He pushed the feelings of self-loathing away and embraced his alter ego. “If she stays here long enough, she’ll come around.”
Samantha, known to the rest of the world as pop star Indigo, walked past him. “One day, you’ll find a woman who makes you want to stop your man-whoring ways.”
